The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Dr Godswill Akpabio has ordered the immediate temporary closure of the Corporate Headquarters of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Port Harcourt.
This comes after the death of the Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Chief Ibanga Etang, who was suspected to have died from coronavirus-related complications in the early hours of Thursday.
This also prompted an internal memo, signed by Silas Anyawu, on behalf of the management of NDDC, asking that all member of staff stay away from the headquarters for two weeks.
“I am directed to inform all staff that management has approved that the commission be shut down for two weeks from today 28 May 2020.
“Consequently, all activities in the commission including ongoing matters are hereby shut down for the time being.
“Members of staff are to ensure that all electrical appliances in their offices are switched off before leaving the premises.
“The head security is by this memo directed to work out modalities to ensure the safety and security of the commission while director, the administration is requested to fumigate and decontaminate the entire offices and premises in the Headquarters during the period.
“Meanwhile staff are enjoined to go into self-isolation for two weeks as they await further directive from Management.”
To further impress the decision of the management, the minister, Akpabio, directed that staff should stay away from the headquarters, in a statement released by the director of press in the ministry, Dewortishe Patricia.
The Minister also urged staff showing symptoms not to panic, but rather report to the nearest NCDC centre for evaluation and treatment.
